LOS ANGELES — Marcus Camby will return to the Knicks lineup against the Lakers, head coach Mike Woodson confirmed to reporters outside the New York locker room a little more than an hour before tip-off.

“We’re going to put him in there,” Woodson said. “We’re going to need him based on the bigs that they have up front, so he will play.”

Camby has missed the last 14 games due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

Woodson said he’s unsure what to expect from Camby in terms of how many minutes he can go, or exactly what level of production he’ll be getting from his veteran big man given his extended absence.

“I don’t know, I mean, I’ve got to gauge it as we go along,” he said. “It’s not like I can sit here and say he’s going to play 30 minutes. I’d be lying when I say that, because he just hasn’t had enough court time yet. So we’ll gauge it as we go along.”

Woodson was pressed further to see if he thought he’d get a sustained stretch out of Camby, but he refused to speculate.

“I really don’t know, honest to God I don’t,” he said. “Because he just hasn’t had a chance to practice. We’ll put him out there and just see how it goes. Hell, he might get out there and have a ell of a game for us, so that’s what I’m expecting. We’ll see.”

Camby hasn’t played much at all for the Knicks this season, appearing in just six games and playing a total of 42 minutes. Now in his 19th season, Camby has career averages of 9.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocked shots per game.

I don’t remember playing tonight. I didn’t play. Guys get a lot of money to be ready to play. No Knute Rockne speeches. It’s your job. If you’re a plumber and you don’t do your job, you don’t get any work. I don’t think a plumber needs a pep talk. If a doctor botches operations, he’s not a doctor anymore. If you’re a basketball player, you come ready. It’s called maturity. It’s your job.

Like it or not, motivation is part of an NBA coach’s job.

But that’s also precisely what Popovich is doing.

His credentials dwarf any other coach’s. He can play to his own ego and absolve himself of responsibility – and players will seek to please him. His years of success have earned him the ability to motivate this way, a method no other coach could use without alienating his team.

So, why not hold Motiejunas to what became a four-year, $31 million offer sheet once matched? Houston got something in return – a later trigger date on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ 2017-18 salary. Originally, that decision had to be made March 1 – which would’ve meant dropping Motiejunas from the team this season to prevent his salary from counting next season. Now, the Rockets can make that call in July, after this season is complete.

The following two Julys, Houston will also have a choice on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ upcoming salary or dropping him.

Essentially, Motiejunas is signing the most lucrative Hinkie Special in NBA history. If he plays well and stays healthy, the Rockets have Motiejunas at an affordable rate. If he struggles or his back injuries flare up, they can drop him with little to no penalty.

After they backed themselves into this corner, Motiejunas and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, didn’t do so bad. Considering the similarity between this contract and the Nets’ original offer sheet, it seems Houston helped Armstrong save face after a bungled free agency (which is easier to accept when you’re adding a talented reserve to a formidable team).

But for how little is guaranteed and how much control the Rockets hold over the next four years, wouldn’t Motiejunas have been better off accepting the $4,433,683 qualifying offer?

This means Motiejunas can’t sign with the Nets, who signed him to the original offer sheet, for one year.

I bet it also means Motiejunas and Houston have agreed to a new contract. Otherwise, why release him from the offer sheet? The Rockets would be giving up a tremendous amount of leverage out of the goodness of their hearts – unless this is just a prelude to a new deal with Houston.